Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). All right. Is there any other use that you made or the White House made of the FBI on matters such as that that come to your recollection now? John Dean. I can recall again, after the fact, getting involved in a situation that involved a FBI investigation that was made of Mr. Daniel Schorr. And when I learned about that after the fact I was told that what had happened is that Mr. Higby who was Mr. Haldeman assistant had received a request from Mr. Haldeman when he was traveling with the President to direct the FBI to do an investigation of Mr. Schorr. Mr. Hoover proceeded with the investigation, but to the dismay of the White House he did a sort of a full-field wide-open investigation and this became very apparent. So this put the White House in a rather scrambling position to explain what had happened. The long and short of the explanation was that Mr. Malek who at the time knew nothing about this said that Mr. Schorr was being considered for a post and that this was a part of a preliminary investigation in consideration of Mr. Schorr for a Presidential appointment in, I believe, the environmental field.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). All right. Any other instances that you recollect as to the use of the FBI by the White House along these lines? Let me give you a broad range, you just might mark these down so you do not have to go over each one. This is type of situation that either involved the FBI or the Internal Revenue Service, CIA, Military Intelligence, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Secret Service. John Dean. Let me start from the bottom of the list back. I do recall, and I mentioned in my statement, a rather broad reference to the fact that that intelligence came from surprising sources sometimes. At one point one of the top officials at the Secret Service brought me a small intelligence printout regarding Senator McGovern and just left if with me and said I thought that this might be of interest to you." It had to do with Mr., with Senator McGovern attending a fundraising function, I believe in Philadelphia. And apparently there were some references in the intelligence statement to the fact that either Communist money or former Communist supporters were going to attend the fund raiser. I took the document to Mr. Colson and I said, "Are you interested in this? I assume it was given to me not to bury in my files," but I said, "I do not think you can reveal the source of the information." He said, "I am very interested in it." He took it and later told me he had made arrangements to have it published.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
John Dean. Now, with regard to the ATF. Mr. Caulfield was at ATF after he left the White House and going by way of the reelection committee, and from time to time he would send over tidbits of information regarding individuals. Some of this might be reflected in my file because I cannot recall ever doing anything with this information other than filing it. The CIA, I don t recall myself receiving, anything that we might call politically embarrassing information from the CIA about any individual. The memorandum I received from the CIA were straight classified documents regarding activities of some antiwar demonstrators or people traveling to Hanoi and things of this nature. Also, foreign funding of domestic radical groups and things of this nature which I would forward generally to Dr. Kissinger or General Haig. With regard to the FBI, I mentioned that IRS, I think that you will find in either exhibit 5 or possibly maybe 6, reference to some use of the Internal Revenue Service and requesting information or dealing with situations with regard to the Internal Revenue Service. I m also aware of the fact that after an article was published on Mr. Rebozo I got instructions that one of the authors of that article should have some problems. I didn t know how to deal directly with the situation. I discussed it with Mr. Caulfield. I was reluctant to call Mr. Walters who was the head of the Internal Revenue Service and suggest that he do anything about this. Mr. Caulfield apparently had friends in the Internal Revenue Service and I believe he told me, he was able to accomplish an audit on the individual. What the consequence of the audit was I don t know. Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). Who is the individual? John Dean. I do not recall for certain. It was one of the, I think it was one of the Newsday persons who worked on a rather extensive article on Mr. Rebozo.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). All right. Are there any other instances of which you have firsthand knowledge in this? John Dean. As I say, if I were to spend a week or so in my files, I could probably on chapter and verse everything that had come to my office in this regard. But I am trying to come off the top and tell you what I can recall off the top. Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). I would hope Mr. Dean, and Mr. Chairman, that Mr. Dean would do just that and refresh his recollections as to whether there is anything further that he has been unable to come forth with at this time. John Dean. The White House has made an arrangement whereby I can go to my files, but I must say it is a rather awkward arrangement. There are some five file cabinets that are all safes and there is no desk in the room to work and I must work under the supervision of a Secret Service agent and there is no place to sit down with any comfort in write. So it s a little difficult to get in there and do anything. Hopefully if I were to do that, we can make arrangements so I could get in and spend the time that would be necessary to go through the files. The other thing is of course, I have to do this all by handwriting because I am not allowed to make any copies of anything in my files.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). I see. Just briefly review and this will end my questioning. And I apologize to the committee for taking so much time, but it is a subject that I confess I don't have every last bit of information on. It s a difficult thing to piece together but I think it is a very important part of the story. I think it has become clear this afternoon that another step has been taken, another step further along the road from testimony which Mr. McCord gave, whereupon he was receiving information from the Internal Security Division. To the next step where at least insofar as the structure of the plan of 1970 which included bugging, burglarizing, mail coverage, breaking in and the like, and so far as the mechanics or the administration was concerned, that the first step was taken. And also, that even though that particular unit did not involve itself In any illegal activities, certainly the security arms of the United States Government were in various instances which you have cited utilized for purposes not intended. Would that be a fair summation of what we are talking about? John Dean. I am not quite sure of the end of your summation there. I wonder if you could repeat you said that security arms were used
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). That is correct. Even though the IEC itself did not engage in any illegal activities, do you consider the matters which you have spoken of whether it be an FBI investigation of an individual or an IRS audit, do you consider that to be legal and proper actions by those security arms? John Dean. As I say, I don't know of the IEC itself preparing political material. I do, of course, know and as I have submitted in documents, other agencies were involved in seeking politically embarrassing information on individuals who were thought to be enemies of the White House. I might also add that in my possession is a rather, very much down the lines of what you are talking about, is a memorandum that was requested by me to prepare a means to attack the enemies of the White House. There was also maintained what was called an enemies list which was rather extensive and continually being updated. Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). I am not going to ask who was on it. I m afraid you might answer. I wonder, are these documents in the possession of the committee? John Dean. No, but I would be happy to submit them to the committee. They didn't fit within the request that I had with counsel as to the documents he wished to have produced, but if the committee does wish them, I will be happy to submit them. Samuel Dash, attorney. Mr. Chairman I think the committee would like very much to have a copy of that memorandum. John Dean. All right, sir. Senator Lowell Weicker (R Connecticut). I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.